


In The Line Of Duty

by NyeLung



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Additional Characters to be added, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Marriage Alliance, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Warnings May Change, additional relationships to be added - Freeform, most likely platonic relationships, slow-build romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-29
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-01-06 21:56:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12219714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NyeLung/pseuds/NyeLung
Summary: >> "Just because I don't love you, doesn't mean I can't cherish you." <<Padmé had thought that she would marry for love. Jango had never thought of marriage at all. The occupation of Naboo by the Trade Federation changes everything for both. Alliances and bonds as strong as beskar are forged to last the upcoming war.





	1. Where everything starts I

**Author's Note:**

> I blame tumblr.

### Tatooine, 32 BBY

Padmé hadn't thought that it would come to this. The occupation, the rescue and then stranding on some backwater planet called Tatooine. Hutt space. No, she hadn't thought that it would come to this at all. She was thankful to the Jedi for rescuing her from the Trade Federation's grasp but their rescue could have been planned far better. They relied too much on hope in Padmé's opinion. She would change this.

Padmé loved a good plan. Of course, now and then she was impulsive but even then she liked to have something up her sleeve or a backup-plan. Now was the time to use one of them. While Master Jinn was trading with an old merchant lady, she caught a glimpse of a distinctive armour. Mandalorian.

The Mandalorians were one of the people she had read about as soon as the Trade Federation's behaviour became more openly hostile. She needed allies that were able to help in case the Senate would not – or if she wouldn't be able to reach the Senate at all. This was the case now and the Mandalorians had seemed persuadable to fight for her – for a price. Padmé had an idea how to bait them.

A slight movement of hand was enough to call R2 over to her. Master Jinn looked in her direction – he had noticed that she was leaving. His forehead crinkled in confusion. Padmé shook her head. What she was doing now might not have been properly planned and it was a risk – a risk worth taking if she could save her planet and her people.

Padmé did what she disliked doing a lot. She gambled. She gambled on the Mandalorian noticing her while she followed him. She gambled on him being curious why she would follow him. At least she didn't look like a rival mercenary and her only weapon was the royal model holdout Blaster. She hoped that was protection enough.

 

As soon as she turned around a corner into a smaller passageway she was pressed against the wall by a person in full armour, a blaster to her head and she was pretty sure that there was a knife pressed into her side just shy of cutting her tunic.

“Why are you following me?”, the Mandalorian asked. His voice was distorted by the vocoder but she was sure now that he was a man.

Padmé swallowed. She had been mentally prepared to be faced by a fully armoured and armed Mandalorian. It was something different altogether facing it for real. “I'm looking for Jango Fett.”

The silver helmet with the blue rim around the visor didn't move away. She was sure that he would knock her down with it any moment. “What business do you have with Jango Fett?”

“He is still Mandalor, isn't he? I've got a deal for him and his people.” She straightened her posture as far as possible and looked straight to the point where she estimated his eyes to be.

His helmet didn't move but she would bet – if she were a betting person – that he looked up and down her body. “You are the queen the Trade Federation is missing.” He nodded as though paying her some kind of respect. “You chose a good place to hide from them. There's a bounty out on you. Not by the Federation directly but one of their underworld contacts -” He interrupted himself and pressed her harder against the wall – this time without weapons and in a way that made her face invisible. “Let's move this somewhere else.” He pulled a scarf out of his belt. “Put this on. There are people looking for you.”

Warily, Padmé took the scarf and wrapped it around her head and a good part of her face. “I'm supposed to follow you? How do I know it's not a trap?”

The Mandalorian put away his blaster and knife. “You were looking for Jango Fett. You found him.”

 

Padmé sat down on a shabby bed in one of the trademark stone houses in Mos Espa. She had expected Jango Fett to be different. Taller, maybe. More … she had expected to know it's him when she saw him but he looked just like any other Mandalorian. She had expected some kind of insignia. There was none.

He was looking around the house – possibly checking for bugs or other surveillance. As long as he didn't start talking, Padmé wouldn't either. So she observed him, his movements. He didn't look like much – except for the armour and his weapons – but he moved like the veterans in Naboo's guard. No, not like that. More like the tusk cats or even the far more feral and elusive zalaaca. Guarded, always ready to attack.

After a few rounds he sat down opposite of her. He still wore the helmet. It was unsettling but she had expected it. The information she had gathered had mentioned that Mandalorians preferred to wear their helmets even while talking with clients. “You said you had a deal for my people. I guess you want us to fight the Trade Federation for you.” Fett crossed his arms. He waited for a reaction from her.

“I want to end the occupation of my planet and save my people. Nothing else.”

“No.” He didn't even name a price.

Padmé crossed her arms mirroring his posture unintentionally. “Naboo is a rich planet. Help us and it will be worth your time.”

“No.” Again, without considering her offer.

“Alright”, Padmé stood up, a new idea springing fresh from her mind. “Then I will marry you.”

Jango Fett stayed silent. “What?”, he asked then and the surprise was tangible even through the distortion of the vocoder.

“Naboo's riches stem from the plasma in the planet core because it allows us to build enforced weaponry and forge with higher temperatures than possible on other planets. We do not export the plasma – it keeps the planet core stable – but a marriage alliance would allow the Mandalorians access as long as the alliance exists. I've read about Mandalore's economy. You could use high-temperature-forging.”

Now Jango Fett was contemplating her offer in earnest. She knew that it was a hard decision. He would have to lead his people to war – and they were still weakened after the long civil war with the Death Watch – but there were great benefits awaiting them.

The silence stretched on and the insecurity was creeping up on Padmé. Had she been too bold? Was he considering to just take the bounty on her head and be done with it?

Before the insecurities could overwhelm her, Jango Fett stood up – he really wasn't that tall. He took off his helmet and looked right at her. “You have your deal.”


	2. Where everything starts II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm surprised myself how fast this was written. Guess I needed something to take my mind off of shitty neighbours.

### Where everything starts II

Jango wasn't exactly sure what to think. This young queen had played him in a matter of a few sentences. All she had used was a bold move and a good offer to get him and an army of mando'ade. She was strong, he had to admit, and she was ready to sacrifice herself for her own people, a character trait he admired.

At the moment she was talking to the people that had been with her when she decided to follow him. Her astromech droid had tracked them down after they made their deal. A Jedi – considering his age he was a Master but Jango had never dealt with him. One amphibian – the databanks listed it as a Gungan, a species native to Naboo. They were easy to kill unless they used their ray shielding techniques and electromagnetic weapons. A boy. A slave. Jango remembered him from one of his jobs that he had done for Gardulla. The boy had been there to provide refreshments.

Padmé Amidala, queen of Naboo. She already looked very mature. He skimmed through the holonet while waiting for answers to his summons of the clans. She had only been recently elected, just a half standard-year ago. Her predecessor had met an unfortunate death soon after. Jango raised one eyebrow. That read like assassination, albeit a very good one because there were no traces of unnatural circumstances to be found. Jango added it to his list of things to watch out for in the future.

Jango blinked in surprise when he saw her age mentioned in one article. Fourteen. She was far younger than he had thought. As a mando'ad he didn't care much about age. Experience was important, having mastered the trials of adulthood was enough to be considered an adult. He doubted it was the same on Naboo. Their planet and culture were vastly different from Mandalore and he wasn't about to marry a child, even if she would be considered adult on Mandalore.

“Are you even a woman yet?”, he asked as soon as she came over after talking for a long while with the Jedi.

"What?", Padmé exclaimed. "Of course." The first outrage cooled down and she started to think about his question. "On Naboo at least. How does it work on Mandalore?”

Jango did a short recollection in his mind of the trials of adulthood that he had heard of – his own had been the war against the Death Watch and he somehow doubted that Padmé Amidala had fought in a war. “You pass a trial. In most cases the chief of your clan comes up to you and tells you that it's time to go out and do something that will be accepted as a trial. Slaying a beast, defeating an accomplished fighter in single combat. That kind of thing.”

Padmé raised one eyebrow. “There's nothing a bit more … civilised? Diplomacy for example?”

He tried to remember what he had heard about it. Jango had never thought that he would ever have to deal with this. He was the last of Clan Fett and had had no plans to ever marry, settle down or become a father – although he had contemplated the last part a few times in the last years. “There was something about craftsmanship, forging beskar and alike. You just have to prove that you are able to fulfil the resol'nare.” Her eyes showed her confusion. “I can tell you about that later. It's about being able to provide for your clan and protect your family.”

There was a glint of amusement in her eyes and a small smirk showing up in the corners of her mouth. “So, being able to provide for my clan by being a diplomat and protecting my family without even having to fight because of diplomacy... would have to be accepted?”

Jango had to bite on his lips – thankfully hidden behind his helmet – not to laugh. Padmé Amidala wasn't only bold, she was also cunning. A truly admirable person. “Considering that your attempts at finding a diplomatic solution with the Trade Federation failed, I declare this point moot.” Without further explanation he handed his vibroknife to Padmé. “Come with me. We're going to take a little detour.”

Padmé raised another eyebrow. “Don't you think we should use our time and head back to Naboo? That's our contract.”

“Our contract involves us marrying and I'm not about to marry a kid. Unless you pass as an adult by Mandalorian standards, you can forget about the whole deal.”

He should have expected it by now but she continued to surprise him. Padmé crossed her arms and stared him dead in the eyes – or into his visor from her point of view. “Then I challenge you to single combat.”

This time Jango didn't suppress the laugh bubbling up inside of him. It wasn't condescending in the slightest. It was more the sensation of surprise. “Padmé Amidala, you are continuously surprising. Considering that this is your trial, you get the choice of weapons.”

She smiled and it was the first time Jango got the feeling that he had made a mistake. “And we don't need any witnesses?”

Jango shook his head. “The word of mand'alor is enough for the clans.”

She smiled more broadly. “Then my choice of weapons is words.”

He was searching for a sign of her making a joke, but no, she was dead serious. She had played him. Again. He knew that he was considered the most dangerous bounty hunter in the galaxy. He knew how to reel in bounties and fight wars. He knew a bit about Mandalorian politics – just enough to be mand'alor. This woman knew politics, she knew words and how to outmanoeuvre him on her terrain. Jango would never admit it to the “duchess” but maybe a trial of adulthood could be done by diplomacy.

Padmé seemed to wait for a reaction from him, so he took off his helmet and wiped away the tears of suppressed laughter that had formed in his eyes. “I admit defeat, Padmé Amidala, queen of Naboo. Just, please, don't tell anyone how you completed your trial. I would never hear the end of it.”

That made her smirk. “That depends. Do we have our deal now?”

“Yes, yes, we do have our deal.” Jango realized only now that what he felt was amazement. This woman – yes, he could consider her a woman now – was strong-willed, stubborn, clever and he guessed she was also quite good-looking. “We are going to marry now and then I will uphold my end of the deal.” The clans should answer him any minute now.

“Now?” Padmé looked a bit unsettled. Shocked even. “How do you want to hold a wedding here and now?”

“It's only an exchange of oaths and then we are married. Don't tell me that it's vastly different on Naboo.” He hoped that it wasn't. Marriage alone was already more commitment than he had ever wanted – being forced to endure wedding ceremonies was pushing it.

She seemed to have guessed his thoughts. “I endured your trial of adulthood. You can endure Naboo weddings.” Padmé smiled again and there was a hint of sadistic amusement in it. “Now, what are the oaths? I want to get this over as soon as possible to free my people.”

Jango knew the words. It felt strange to actually be about to speak them out loud and mean it. “Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde. We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors. That's all.” He saw her repeat the words loudlessly. “Should I say them again?”

“Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome.” A short narrowing of her eyes was the only sign that she had to think about the next line. “Mhi me'dinui an. Mhi ba'juri verde.” She frowned. “Do we really have to raise kids?”

Jango got out of answering that question when his comlink rang. Vau had received his call. Good. He could make Vau get Skirata under control. He resisted the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. This was exactly the reason why he preferred to work alone. Organizing an army of mando'ade from different clans was worse than staying clean in a Hutt's palace. He sighed and started the conversation with Vau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, headcanon time. I guess. Mandalorians have trials to be considered adult. Slaying a beast or defeating an enemy is pretty common. Reeling in a bounty is also nice. Warrior stuff. But a nation can't survive only by warriors, so there's also stuff for everyone else. Not every Mandalorian can/wants to fight. There should be kids born in the clans with disabilities for example. What I read about Mandalorian culture strongly suggest that they don't kill off disabled offspring, so they have to rethink the resol'nare (the six pillars of being Mandalorian) for someone who can not fight on a battlefield. Being a blacksmith or a mechanic or whatever is still valid Mandalorian stuff and of course you can prove through craftsmanship that you are able to provide for your clan and family. (the other pillars are neglected for the moment) So yeah, basically, I wondered how to make this culture work.  
> Jango, of course, doesn't know much about that aspect because he never cared enough about that part of life and thought he would never need it. First and foremost, I consider him to be a warrior.  
> Oh, and I will include different Mandalorian factions. It won't be like in TCW but the pacifist movement exists just as the Death Watch and the True Mandalorians. The pacifists won't be all white and blond, though. That's stupid. Their main city is in the middle of a desert. Why should they all be white-skinned and blond? Oh, well, and I doubt that the Death Watch will all be murdering lunatics. You can't build a functioning government on that base.  
> Anyway. Naboo headcanons incoming in the next chapters.


	3. Interlude - From Tatooine to Naboo I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short interlude for you and me to warm up before the story continues on Naboo. Also here to establish Obi-Wan as a recurring POV. I think.

Interlude – From Tatooine to Naboo I

 

Qui-Gon was brooding, the queen was silently staring out of a port window, Jar Jar was snoring and Anakin was cold. Obi-Wan didn't understand completely what was going on. First, Qui-Gon had left to purchase replacement parts for the Nubian and then he came back with a former slave boy that he had bought somehow – and Obi-Wan was sure that it had involved inappropriate use of the Force for gambling. He didn't ask, though. He knew better after years as Qui-Gon's apprentice.

He also was wondering whether the queen he saw actually was the queen. It had been Padmé that had talked with Jango Fett and bought the Mandalorians for her war – Obi-Wan still wasn't sure what to feel about that. That wasn't exactly the kind of action a handmaiden could take in her queen's stead. But the Force presence of the queen hadn't changed since they met her. Unless they had already changed places before.

Obi-Wan hid a smile. That was brilliant.

Then the real queen was alone with a known bounty hunter. Obi-Wan suppressed a groan. If Jango Fett wasn't trustworthy, they had just made it very easy for him to collect the bounty on queen Amidala.  
For a moment his thoughts returned to the mysterious attacker of Qui-Gon. He had come from nowhere and Obi-Wan was glad that thanks to Fett – and he still couldn't believe that part – they had already been able to repair their hyperdrive. He didn't try to think about what would have happened hadn't he been able to sprint out of the Nubian to help Qui-Gon.

Anakin stirred in his sleep. Obi-Wan only looked up to confirm that the boy was still asleep, then he felt an anomaly in the Force.

Then a shared vision hit him like a fist in the gut.


	4. Taking up Arms I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Less headcanon this time, more angry Padmé.  
> Oh, and someone had mentioned that this reads as underage because Padmé is still 14 although she acts a lot more mature and would be considered adult in both their cultures. No! This will NOT be underage. I would have tagged it as that and, actually, I feel really uncomfortable thinking about that for different personal reasons. So, yeah, no worries. If Jango and Padmé ever reach explicit territory, she will be at least 18.

Taking up arms I

 

Leaving Tatooine had been a fast matter. Fett had paid for the new hyperdrive motivator. A wedding gift, he had said. Padmé had laughed about it at the time but now, a few days later, she was wondering if he had actually meant it like that and not as a joke. If so, then there would be a lot more cultural differences to overcome than she had expected beforehand.

Together they had set up camp on Ohma-D'un, the biggest moon of Naboo. Then, bit by bit, the first Mandalorians started to arrive. Their ships were just as unique as their armour. Maybe Fett could differentiate between them that way. He greeted every single one personally and they talked and seemed to catch up like old friends meeting in a pub, not warriors gathering for a battle to come. So far the Trade Federation hadn't noticed them.

Padmé on the other hand was busy in collecting intel from the planet. A few frequencies for emergencies had stayed unblocked by the Trade Federation because they were using different senders. The local rebel groups were using them. It didn't look good. Most people had been gathered in work camps. They were starving, the water was dirty and there was no hygiene to be found. Whenever Padmé received one of these reports, she didn't show her anger on her face until she was sure to be alone. The Mandalorians were watching her. Some didn't even try to be discreet about it.

She let the datapad with the newest reports from the senate sink down and massaged her temples. They had agreed to discuss this “event” in a committee. Oh, if only she had been there. She would have told them that they had to do something now. Her people were dying.

“Milady”, someone coughed behind her. Padmé turned around to see the younger Jedi. Obi-Wan Kenobi. “It's not my place to question your decision but do you really think war is the answer?”

Padmé shrugged her shoulders. “I would have preferred a diplomatic solution. Then I got this today.” She held up her datapad and showed him the newest communique from Senator Palpatine. “They want to discuss the genocide of my people in a committee.” Padmé could barely keep a snarl out of her voice.

Kenobi frowned. “That is standard procedure”, he said carefully.

“Until this committee has reached a decision, my people will be dead and I will not stay silent and do nothing while they are dying.” She stood up energetically. “They did not elect me as their queen to stand by and do nothing while other people waste our times and lives with talking.”

“But the Mandalorians?” Kenobi looked around as though one of their allies could just pop out from behind a tree. “Do you know what happened the last time they went to war?”

Padmé shot him a long look. She understood his concerns, she really did. But he was a Jedi and he could never understand what she felt about her people's suffering. With a low huff she stemmed her fists into her waist and said: “Yes, I do. I did a bit of research before I chose them as possible allies. That's how I also know that the Mandalorians learnt their lesson from the Mandalorian Wars. Since then they have only fought other people's wars and this time they are fighting for Naboo because the Republic has become too corrupt and bound by bureaucracy to save my people before they have died in the Federation's labour camps.”

Kenobi nodded without looking too happy or persuaded. “And when the war is over? When you have won? The Mandalorians have always been conquerors. Do you think they will just leave?”

She had awaited this question. Of course, she had doubts, she was only human after all but she also trusted Jango Fett and his code of honour. They had talked a bit on their way from Tatooine. Sabé had been on the royal Nubian and Padmé had taken the Firespray with Fett. She didn't know about the rest of the Mandalorians but Jango Fett would help her save her people and he would stay true to his word. “If they try, I will deal with them personally and if it's the last thing I do.”

Padmé startled when, suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. “If there is someone among my people who will try to reenact those times, _I_ will deal with them personally.” Without her noticing, Jango Fett had come over to stand behind her. How he could move this silently while wearing his armour, was a mystery to her. He wasn't wearing the helmet, though, so he could see the determination in his eyes. He was dead serious.

She fought down a blush although it was nice to know that she wasn't alone in this. “Since when have you been listening?”, she asked instead. His timing was just too convenient to be pure coincidence.

His gloved hand picked up something from her hair. He had bugged her. Padmé should be shocked or at least surprised. She was neither. If she would ask him, why he had done it, the answer would probably be something about her protection. She could live with that. Being the recently elected queen, she had gotten used to not having any privacy any longer. “For a while.” He glanced into Kenobi's direction. “Don't worry, jetii, I will take care of my people. We are not conquerors, we are soldiers. Conquering is in our past and it will stay there. We have learnt from our mistakes. Can you say the same about the Order?”

Padmé didn't know all the history between Mandalorians and Jedi – she didn't need to. Before Kenobi could answer or Fett could provoke him any further, she stepped between them. “That's enough. Use that energy for the Trade Federation.”

Kenobi bowed out, just at the same time as Fett. “I'm sorry, milady”, Kenobi said. “I was just worried.”

Padmé raised one eyebrow. “Worried that I am unable to be a worthy ruler for my people? That I will lead us all into ruin?”

He hesitated. “Can you promise me to not speak about this to anyone else?”, he asked and sounded sincerely distressed. Padmé nodded as did Jango. “Anakin, you know, the boy Master Qui-Gon picked up” and if Kenobi's voice didn't echo a bit of exasperation at that “is having Force visions. Powerful ones about you.” He looked directly into Padmé's eyes. “You are leading an army of faceless warriors into darkness and in the end only death remains.” Involuntarily, she shivered. “So, yes, I am worried that you will lead us all into ruin.”

There was still Fett's hand on her shoulder when Kenobi turned around and left. “Do you think he is right?” She didn't know much about the Force visions of Jedi or Kenobi himself but she was sure that Kenobi wouldn't have told her about this one if it didn't unsettle him deeply because it was very likely to become real. After all, she did know about people and she knew that she had taken a risky path to save her people.

Fett's grip became a bit tighter when he stepped closer to her. “Yes. Taking up arms always ends in death.” He stepped around her to her in the eyes. “But you know that, riduur. Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur. Today is a good day for someone else to die.”

“It's just...”

“You are hesitating because you don't like fighting and killing.” Fett put the helmet away and on the next tree trunk. “Of course, you can choose to not fight. You don't have to but the Trade Federation is not hesitant. So, yes, you could follow the words of the jetiise about darkness leading to destruction or you can fight to protect what is yours to protect.” The words could have been empty phrases. With Fett saying them, they were not. “We should head over to talk with the clan leaders. The most important ones have already gathered.”

“Just one more question.” Padmé hesitated. “What will you do once this war is over? Mandalorians strive on war, after all.”

He laughed. It was a near silent, low chuckling but Padmé guessed that it was the closest to laughing Jango Fett ever got. “Some will return to Mandalore and bring in the crops. Others will continue with bounty hunting. You see the one in the purple armour over there? He's a musician. The conquering days are over. We might strive on war but we don't exist for it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, let's get started.  
> So, well, I know that Naboo is portrayed pretty helpless most of the time in the face of a invasion. Yep, total agreement there but looking into the history of Naboo you can see that they aren't as pacifist as Alderaan. Just to name on example. There had been a lot of recent wars with Gungans and the last kings also hadn't been entirely not paranoid. So I'm pretty sure that there are some defense mechanisms still in place and the security forces know them. I'm also pretty sure that Ohma-D'un could have been used as an evac camp if the need would arise. That's why the senders reach up to the moon.  
> Yeah, Mandalorian Wars. It was the last big crusade of the Mandalorians and killed around 99% of their people. They never got the strength of those days back. Yes, they went to war again after that but never in any way unified. 300 years later in the Cold Wars between Sith-Empire and Republic where they helped the Sith? Yup, where fighting on their side but it had cost them a lot beforehand because Mand'alor's call hadn't been answered by all of them. There had been opposition in the person of Jicoln Cadera and his allies. So, well, yeah, Mandalorians fight but since the time of the crusades they haven't really gone to war. Not for Mandalore. By marrying Jango and making them alliance partners, not business partners, Padmé made the occupation of Naboo a matter of the Mandalorians, so technically this is their first Mandalorian war in nearly 4000 years. Everything else has mostly been squabbles or civil wars. (At least that's what I know. I think there was a bit during Bane but I think most of that was established as TCW-canon and I'm very happy to ignore all that stuff and their reasons why there is a pacifist, very white-skinned movement on Mandalore. Gosh, I'm so annoyed that they actually made the pacifists like that. It can far too easily be interpreted as white supremacy... and I'm rambling. Sorry.)  
> The Force vision mentioned did happen, if I recall correctly, in one of the novelizations. Beats me in which or if it is fanon that I adopted. I just love the wording about Padmé leading faceless warriors into darkness.
> 
> riduur = wife/husband/spouse - Jango wants her to get used to that name.
> 
> How Jango turned out such a philosopher? Beats me but I guess he had lots of time with his own thoughts during his time in slavery.
> 
> The purple Mandalorian is called Wad'e Tay'haai. He first appears in the Republic Commando novels if I recall correctly.  
> And now I should stop this note-stuff because otherwise I might start to ramble on about the RC-novels and what is good and what is really cringy about them. Expect a lot of that in the future. Sorry, not sorry.


	5. Taking up Arms II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm not completely content with this chapter but I guess it's better than letting you all wait for much longer. At least I got to write again.

Taking up arms II

 

“I didn't know there were this many clan leaders”, Padmé whispered when they closed in on the meeting.

“Not all of them are clan leaders. Some are loners who never joined a clan but earned the same respect as a leader, some are the last of their respective clans. The Death Watch has been very thorough in dealing with their enemies.” He hesitated. “One word of advice. Punch the first who calls you an aruetii. Shoot the next.”

“What?”

“It means outsider. Or traitor. And you are neither. You may not know all our customs yet but you are mandokarla and my wife.” One of his hands combed through his hair. “If this alliance is supposed to work, they have to respect you. Proving that you earned the right to be by my side, should be enough for most of them.”

“And violence is proof for them?” Padmé sighed.

“Call it aggressive negotiations if you will.” Jango couldn't stop the smirk in his voice or on his lips. Then he turned back to being serious. “Mandalorians are a simple people. Just let me do most of the talking.”

Amidala only had time to nod her confirmation before they reached his people. At first the attention was on him, followed by short nods of affirmation and greeting. Then the attention shifted to Amidala. They were sizing her up, taking their chance to see her react to quite a lot of eyeless stares. She managed it like the queen he was beginning to see in her.

“Su'cuy, ner'vode. Thank you all for following my call.” He started in Mandalorian but continued in Basic, courtesy to Amidala. His wife. He would need a lot more time than one flight and a few days to get used to this.

“I've just arrived, Fett, and haven't been told much more than you did in your message”, Vau spoke up. “Did I get that right that we're going to war over a woman? Ibac solus?”

Jango felt his spine stiffen. He might not be married long but he already was protective. Maybe not that much because of her yet but because doubting his decision to marry her and go to war for her also meant doubting him and his qualities as a leader.

“Tion'meg aruetii gar riduur, Fett?”, one in read armour added. Skirata, if he recalled correctly. Skirata who had also married an outsider woman. Fascinating.

Before he could answer, Amidala had positioned herself in front of Skirata, hands in her hips and righteous anger in her eyes. She might not have understood Skirata's question but the tone of it was unmistakable. “Before you call me an aruetii, you should know a few things”, she started. Considering that she didn't wear gauntlets it was probably better than hitting a man in full armour. “I passed your Mandalorian trials of adulthood and I may not yet know all about the resol'nare but I swore to uphold them in my wedding vows. I'm not a warrior but I can shoot and fight hand to hand like all my handmaidens. But for the moment and that is the part you should care about, I employed you, all of you, to take back my planet with me from the Trade Federation and earn high for it. Plasma, high energy forging, maybe even some agricultural developments. That's what you need and what we offer. And for that you will offer your weapons and your skills and go to war. Not for a woman but for your profit.”

It was a nice speech, Jango admitted to himself. Using words instead of weapons might be the harder way to earn their respect but it was the battlefield she excelled on. “To answer your questions, yes, this is my spouse, Queen Amidala of Naboo and we have formed an alliance for mutual benefit. She proved that she's mandokarla and will continue to do so once we start the assault on the Trade Federation.”

“The sooner we do that, the better”, Amidala added as soon as she had returned to his side. “My people are being held in prison camps and are dying. I will not allow this to continue any longer. The Trade Federation went too far.”

“Well, at least you got spine”, Rav said gruffly. “Rav Bralor by the way. Last warrior of the Bralor-Clan and ready to blast some clankers.”

“What is the situation on planet?”, Jango interrupted before more leaders could remember their manners. Especially Vau. Having been born and raised in a noble family had left its mark.

“We Naboo are peaceful people so we don't have much of an army. We do, however, have different corps of security forces. Most of them are now being held in prison camps but some could flee and have started an underground militia. I can set up a meeting. Their knowledge of the area will be irreplaceable.”

“Any defence systems we should worry about?”

She thought about it for a moment. “None that are still active after the last Gungan war.”

“What about those Gungans?”, someone in golden armour spoke up. Jango guessed that it was Gilamar.

“They will fight if provoked but they only live in the swamps, so we should stay away from there. No one knows whether they have been attacked by the Trade Federation and, frankly, most Naboo won't care.” She seemed upset about that.

“But the Trade Federation could have reactivated those defence systems?”

Amidala huffed. “Only if they want to use precious plasma for defences that probably won't be working properly any longer.”

“The fight on the ground is only one half”, Bo-Katan from the South spoke up. He'd completely forgotten that she was old enough nowadays to go to war on her own. The last war she had only fought because her parents had been killed by Death Watch and nothing had been able to deter her from that. “Saw a lot of control ships in orbit. Any fleet we can count on? I doubt most of our starfighters aren't strong enough to penetrate those hulls and we have to make it to the ground somehow.”

“Naboo has a few squads of N-One starfighters but the hangars are in Theed, Federation controlled territory.”

Bo-Katan laughed. “Looks like we got our work cut out for us.”

Jango was starting to see a way it might all work out. “We will set up a meeting with the underground militia. We need a way into Theed and they will know one.” He was scratching his chin. “Bo, do you still have those seismic bombs you are so fond of?”

“I'm starting to like your plan”, Bo-Katan answered with a grin. “Does it involve lots of fancy flying and explosions? Then I'm in.”

“And I'm going to be as far away as possible”, a newcomer added. “I was delayed but I heard about an alliance with a peaceful planet and thought it worth coming. Satine Kryze”, she bowed in Amidala's direction.

“I didn't think you would come”, Jango admitted, his planning momentarily stopped.

“This seems like a cause worth fighting for. Anyway, let's save the catching up for later. You were having a plan and you might want to tell it completely before the rest comes.”

“The rest?”

“I was able to rally the South clans. I hope you don't mind.”

“Not one bit”, Jango replied, a bit relieved that he wouldn't have to fight with only half an army. They were Mandalorians and able to wreck havoc with only a few but considering the amount of droids they would have to destroy without damaging too much of their battleground, he felt safer with as many Mandalorians as possible. “Now, this is what we're going to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, clichee-cliffhanger. Just because. Next chapter won't solve it but the one after it.  
> Translations:  
> Su'cuy ner'vode - Hello, brothers/friends  
> Ibac solus - That one  
> Tion'meg aruetii gar riduur - That outsider is your spouse?
> 
> Why does Satine come to a war meeting? Well, I got some headcanon concerning her, so wait for it. Should appear in the next chapter. As well as Vau. And a bit of Jango and Padmé alone.


	6. Taking up arms III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is where the politics start. Also, Walon Vau gets more screentime, as well as Satine. Vau is fucking hard to write and I just had to tell you that.

### Taking up arms III

Padmé had retreated for the moment. After hearing Jango's plan - and it wasn't that bad of a plan - she had only commented that it could work and then Jango had started to distribute the different roles. That was when Padmé had stepped back, acting as though she had gotten new intel on her comm. Truth was, she just needed a moment. She still felt shaky from standing up to that Mandalorian who had looked down on her. She wasn't sure what exactly he had said but the tone had been enough to convey his message.

The Mandalorian in black that had come late and spoken up walked past her, sparing her nothing but a glance - his helmet was off for the moment. Then he halted in his movement and looked right at her. "I think I haven't properly introduced myself yet, milady. Walon Vau, at your service." It was beyond Padmé how he managed a properly formal bow in that armour. Still, it was somehow endearing.

"Padmé Amidala, queen of Naboo. Can I help you?", she replied automatically.

"I have to admit that I am curious. You see, I've been friends with Jango for a long time and I never got the feeling that he wanted to marry, especially not an outsider woman." His eyes were taking her in, looking for some kind of answer. "Fact is, you can help me. Are you afraid of big cats or dogs?"

Padmé didn't show her confusion on her face. "I don't think so."

"That's good." He looked in the direction of the ship landing space that they had cleared. Then he let out a piercing whistle. Within a moment's time a big ball of teeth and golden fur appeared between the ships and ran towards them. 

Padmé took a deep breath and regretted it. That thing stank worse than a bog. It seemed to love Vau, though and he seemed to reciprocate the sentiment. "What is that?"

"This is Lord Mirdalan - or Mird - and it is a strill." While he said that the strill came up to Padmé and smelled her. She didn't flinch back when all those sharp teeth came close to her wrists. Then it snuffed a breath and trotted back to its master. "It seems to like you. That's good."

"Alright", Padmé got up and put the comm away. "What is going on?"

"I thought it better to introduce you to Mird since we are going to be working together soon." He scratched the strill behind the ears, so that it rolled onto its back and shamelessly exposed its belly. "Since Jango will be part of the main strike force with your decoy queen, he entrusted me to have your back."

"I will have a Jedi and Captain Panaka as well as a few guards in my team, don't you think you will be more useful in the main force?" Truth was, she wasn't sure that she wanted this Mandalorian with her who knew formal manners and had such an expressionless face. On the other hand, he was probably better than the one who had immediately acted aggressively towards her.

"Now, milady, not to sound condescending but we don't know what we will be facing. This is war and everything could happen, so better get used to this. You married the mand'alor and since you are not Mandalorian yourself, he will make sure that you are protected."

Padmé massaged the bridge of her nose. She'd never do this would she be acting as the queen but since she was only wearing the handmaiden's uniform since Tatooine, she had loosened up a bit. She sighed. "Then I guess we will be working together in this." The strill interrupted her with a mewling kind of sound. "You don't seem to mind that I'm not Mandalorian."

"You've got guts. I respect that. Maybe you are even mandokarla."

"What exactly does that mean? Mandokarla?", she interrupted him. Jango had used that word before as well but she hadn't had the time to ask him.

"It's not directly translatable, I think. Living up to mando standards, maybe. Living the resol'nare, the virtues of Mandalorian culture, something like that." He shrugged his shoulders and concentrated on Mird instead that had started to curl up in a rumbling ball of happiness. "Fact is that Mandalorians aren't a homogeneous group of people. Skirata isn't alone with his opinions but he's also not the majority."

"Skirata?", she asked, not knowing who to place with the name.

"Golden armour, was the one who called you aruetii. As for me, I reserve my judgement for later." His dark gaze pierced right through her. "So far you've shown promise but there must be something about you that Jango would marry you."

Padmé shrugged her shoulders. "My planet's riches, I guess."

That elicited an expression from Vau. A slight smirk. "Now, I might not be joined at the hip with Jango but I've known him for quite some time and I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't just marry for money or the greater good of Mandalore."

Padmé forced a smile on her face. "Now, Mird is a strill, right? What exactly is a strill?", she changed the subject forcefully. She certainly wouldn't discuss her political marriage with a Mandalorian she had just met.

 

Jango combed his fingers through his hair and suppressed a sigh. Distributing the roles had taken far longer than he had anticipated. At least Vau hadn't protested when Jango had put him on guard duty. To protect his wife. He had to fight not to scoff at the thought. He was married now. He still wasn't exactly sure why he'd done that. Sure, the offer had been great and there was something about her that he admired, her strength. Still, he had trouble believing he'd actually agreed to marry her and fight her war.

Satine came up to him after her people had dispersed as well. "You know, I only came because I was curious. I didn't think you would ever marry."

“I didn't think you would ever wear that armour again, Satine", he countered before thinking it through.

"It doesn't mean that I gave up on my ideals. I still believe that Mandalore should be able to survive without war", she answered without hesitation. "But I did my research and Naboo could be an invaluable partner to evolve Mandalore from a mercenary culture to something greater."

"It might." Jango shrugged his shoulders. "But we had this discussion before. I still doubt that most mando'ade would give up their mercenary jobs to settle down."

"Jango, not everyone is like you. And who knows... marriage might change you." She grinned, showing that she was half joking.

"You're confusing the reasons for this marriage. It's entirely political." He tried to think of settling down on Naboo in that giant palace. "No, I doubt I will be around much after this war."

Satine laughed now. "You underestimate the time that an alliance needs in order to work. Take it from the woman who studied political sciences in the Core. You will be around a lot. Better get used to new sleeping arrangements."

"Satine, you may be the unofficial leader of the South but show some respect."

"And here I was about to offer my help in future negotiations." Satine shook her head. "Did you even sign a preliminary contract with her? Or is the marriage oaths all you got?"

"You think she will betray her word?" Jango rather doubted it but he had thought about the possibility.

"Her I'm not sure about. She seems like a proper woman, tough, pragmatical if need be. But she's not the sole ruler of Naboo. She's got a council and - I told you I did my research - the Naboo guard that plasma like a krayt dragon guards a good water hole. You might want to talk to her before we start risking our lives." Satine moved to leave. "Oh, and call me if you need any help with the phrasing in the contract. I might not be a lawyer but I know the basics."

 

"So, tomorrow's the big day", Padmé said after Jango had come to relieve Vau. "It's not the first war you fought in, is it?"

"No", Jango answered monosyllabic and sat down next to her. His thoughts were still on the warning from Satine that the council might try to double cross them for their efforts.

"Is it normal to be scared?" She bit her lower lip. "I mean, we won't be killing people but some of us might die."

"Probably." Jango shrugged his shoulders. He had accepted the possibility of death in battle a long time ago when he had watched his father being murdered by the Death Watch.

"I still don't understand how anyone would choose this life." She shook her head, clearly disturbed. In some aspects, Jango thought, she was still very young and naive. "What if our intel is wrong? What if a lot of Mandalorians die tomorrow? They will face the brunt of the attack, after all."

"You underestimate our armour. But even so, they are prepared for that." He paused, thinking how to bring up the next point. "Since you brought it up, my people are prepared to die, are your people prepared to pay?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Someone told me that Naboo is ruled by the monarch but that there's also an influential council to consider. Is that right?"

"You don't trust the council", she concluded immediately. She was clever, he had to give her that. "But you trust my word?"

"I've seen you, them I don't know. So, would they try to cheat us out of our pay?" Asking directly had always worked best for him. He didn't want to think about having to change that when this alliance would pull him deeper into the fangs of politics.

Padmé thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure. They might but they might also be grateful that you helped us."

"Would setting up a preliminary contract work?" He never would admit it out loud but Satine was a clever woman when it came to these matters.

"It might." Padmé brushed back a stray strand of hair. "But if I really were opposing you, I would argue that you coerced me or something like that." She paused. "That could, however be circumvented by witnesses." Jango had a bad feeling about this. "If we could get Master Jinn to work as a witness, it would be very hard to contest the preliminary contract."

So that was what the bad feeling had been. Jedi. He hated working with Jedi. On the other hand he had a duty to his people to ensure they would get paid. "Then let's do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeay, politics. I have no idea what I'm talking about there half of the time and I'm possibly writing politics far more reasonable than they actually are.  
> As for Satine. Yes, she's wearing armour and being very Mandalorian. I'm trying to combine the different canons here with Jango being mand'alor and her being the duchess later on. Basically, she follows the resol'nare, has had quite the violent past together with her sister (I will probably write a bit about their headcanon backstory some time later), but is also a pacifist since she drew different conclusions than her sister from their violent past. She's got quite some influence in the South, especially around Sundari, whereas the North has always been closer to the older ways of doing things with a more loose network of clans that only follow the mand'alor. Does that make sense to you?


	7. Battle of Naboo I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to aplogize ahead about all the scene cuts in this chapter. It's gonna be a lot but I somehow have to show a battle from four perspectives and there's a lot going on.

### Battle of Naboo I

Jango felt the slight tingling in his stomach he always felt ahead of a big battle. The groups were getting in position, everything was prepared. They only waited for his signal. He saw the Armored Assault Tanks hover up on the hills surrounding their chosen battlefield and suddenly he felt less good about knowing that they were only the distraction to draw out most of the army so their smaller groups could slip into the palace more easily.

He switched to short-range comms, since the long-distance ones were still blocked. "Alright, I'll have your back, vode, and you'll have mine. I'm not planning to burn any bodies tonight. Take care, vode."

There was a multitudes of Ayes, Oyas and Yessirs to answer him. Then someone started to hum and another fell in sync. Before long the familiar tones of the Vode An were falling from everyone's lips just like from Jango's.

_Kote!_  
Kandosii sa ka'rta, Vode an.  
Manda'yaim a'den mhi, Vode an.  
Bal kote, darasuum kote,  
Jorso'ran kando a tome. 

 

Bo-Katan switched to the emergency frequency the Queen had given them so the fighter pilots could communicate with each other. There was some chatter and they were all getting antsy, waiting for the signal.

"Should be starting any minute now. Anyone got any last stupid jokes to share?", Bo asked with half a smile. "Cause I plan to die laughing should I die today."

"A Hutt walks into a bar on Ord Mantell-"

"Fenn, anyone but you, please. Your jokes are the worst", Bo interrupted him. "Alright, get ready to lift off. Almost time to blast some junk into space."

"Oya!", the comms answered.

Someone started to hum the familiar tones of the Vode An. Others joined. Bo-Katan joined, the words falling easily from her lips.

_Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an._  
Kandosii sa ka'rta, Vode an.  
Manda'yaim a'den mhi, Vode an.  
Bal... 

 

Padmé noticed how Vau's thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. He wasn't yet wearing his helmet, so she could read his face and it was the face of someone deeply in thought. He seemed almost too calm for them going into battle any second now. They were just waiting for the distraction to start, so they could sneak through Theed.

In her earpiece she heard the underground groups chattering lightly, talking about blasting some clankers and getting home. They were optimistic. She also heard the chatter of the Mandalorian pilots. Then there was singing. It was unlike anything she had ever heard on Naboo. She noticed Vau tapping his fingers along with the rhythm and felt how it lifted her spirits. Something about the song was almost holy.

_Motir ca'tra nau tracinya._  
Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.  
Aruetyc talyc runi'la solus cet o'r.  
Motir ca'tra nau tracinya.  
Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a.  
Aruetyc talyc runi'la trattok'o. 

 

Satine looked at the Queen silently while she waited for her signal. They would be taking the direct route and destroy any droids they would encounter. Satine wasn't particulary fond of the oncoming violence but it had to be done and at the least the Queen looked like a reasonable person although it was hard to tell now with all that make-up. In some ways she was a completely different person from the one she had seen at the meeting.

One hadn't changed, though. Padawan Kenobi was still quite like she remembered him from his assignment in days past. Satine remembered their fledgling romance fondly and was still relieved that nothing had come of it. She was a politician first and he a Jedi. Still, seeing him here, now, not even recognizing her with her armour on, made her remember. He had helped her a lot in those past days with setting up her far more pacifistic movement and keeping her safe from remnants of the Death Watch. Ah, those had been the days when she had still dreamt of love...

Absentmindedly, Satine listened to the chatter on the emergency frequencies. Lighthearted jokes were exchanged and then the singing started. It had been years since she had last participated in a Vode An. She hadn't had the chance since the civil war in the Mandalorian sector. Without thinking about it, she hummed along.

_Sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, Vode an!_

 

The tanks were hovering on the hilltops. No movement. But they were outside of the city, so that part was done. Jango grabbed his signal gun and aimed it at the sky. Although it wouldn't be perfectly visible in daylight, the magnesium burnt bright enough to inform everyone.

"Vode, let's light this place up."

The sound of an army of droids being released got mixed up with jetpacks lighting up. Someone fired a rocket launcher and nearly hit Jango out of his flight path. He bit back a curse. If he found that di'kut later, he would give him the fright of his life.

 

Bo saw the signal nearly at the same moment as she heard others exclaiming it over their shared comm-channel. Her engines had already been running low. Time to start. She took off together with her vode, Fenn Rau already showing off fancy manoeuvring before they had even exited the atmosphere. She didn't fight back her grin when the atmosphere rattled her starfighter. This was where things were good. Sitting in a starfighter, about to blast things into tiny pieces and flying for her life. She never felt better than when she was sitting in a cockpit.

 

Padmé had only been waiting for the signal. Now that it was given, she knew that most of their path would be clear - and with Vau at her back she felt strangely safe. She held her pointer safely in one hand and gave Captain Panaka the signal for his part of the diversion. Her group would be the only one advancing straight onto the Viceroy. Everyone else would be drawing the attention onto themselves and making it easier for Padmé and her group of Mandalorians, Nubian pilots and Master Jinn.

She fired a few shots and then they vanished from Captain Panaka's battle. They had to reconquer a hangar and get the Nubian pilots into space.

 

Jango was doing his best not to get hit although his armour should withstand a hit or two from even the big cannons, he would rather not test it. It would probably hurt kriffing bad.

Most of his vode had organized into little groups and were making life difficult for the droid army that was supposed to fight an organized army, not splinter groups with jetpacks, making them far too mobile. Also, there was someone with a rocket launcher who readily assaulted the tanks with something like glee. At least Jango could always hear someone hooting when a missile hit its target.

 

They had finally reached the hangar. Padmé entered shooting with Captain Panaka and Vau at her side and Master Jinn storming forwards to take care of more droids with his lightsaber. The pilots were running to the sides where their ships were suspended. Astromechs rolled to their posts and soon the hangar was filled with the occasional blastershot and Nubian N-1 taking to the skies.

 

Bo-Katan was surrounded by a cloud of Vultures when she saw a group of sleek, yellow and silver shapes enter the fray. "Good of you to come. I need you to get rid of these Vultures for me. Can't use the seismic bombs with them around."

"Roger", a female pilot answered and turned around to help her. The Nubian ships had great manoeuvrability, Bo noticed. Perfect to fight these Vultures.

A window opened and her target computer beeped. "Hit's away", she yelled and fired a proton torpedo into the hull of the droid control ship. She didn't have too many of these but every hit was a good one. Weakened the considerable shields.

 

Satine had bunkered down for the moment. They had reached a blockade and progress towards the palace had come to a halt. Those droidekas made life difficult for them and Satine was already out of grenades to destroy their shields. Next to her the Queen was firing on them but her blaster had far too little fire power.

"Duck!", someone yelled over comms. Satine didn't think twice and was just fast enough to not be hit by a disruptor ray going over her head.

"Where did that come from?", the Queen hissed next to her. "That's illegal tech."

Satine looked back to where she estimated the disruptor having been fired from to see the familiar markings of the Tervho clan. "Yeah, she doesn't care. That's not even the worst and for the moment, your Highness, just forget about it. It's finished off the droidekas, didn't it?"

"If word gets out that we used illegal tech, the Federation gets a better standing in court. They won't have to pay as much reparations or none at all." The Queen looked furious.

Satine scratched her helmet. "That sounds overly complicated. I'm so glad Mandalore isn't part of the Republic." She switched to comms. "Tervho, stop with the disruptor. It's illegal and the Queen doesn't like it. Where did you even get one?"

"How about I don't answer that and you forget you saw anything?", a woman answered. That would be Vhonte Tervho then, Satine guessed.

"Put it away and we can go with that." Satine suppressed a sigh. She just had to get the maniac for illegal tech. At least Tervho had gotten that reputation in the civil war.

 

They were giving the droids a hard time. The droids weren't programmed to shoot fast moving targets with jetpacks and even less so whole groups of said fast moving targets. Jango had already taken out a few of them with EMPs he had packed the evening before and was now aiming at them with his blasters. The missiles he saved for when he would get close enough to the armoured tanks.

Still, there were so many droids and those kriffing droidekas, that they all had their hands full. He should have packed more EMPs, Jango thought. The droideka shields made them difficult to destroy and they could pack quite a punch with their cannons. 

 

She was hard pressed by Vultures. Even with the Naboo pilots helping out, they were just too few. The only remedy for the moment was that they had hit the antenna that blocked long-range communication. If she wasn't so damned busy, Bo would listen in on the ground crews. For the moment, though, she kept her shields up, fire power high enough to destroy Vultures and tried to not get hit by the turbolaser batteries on the droid control ship.

 

"Red group that way, blue group this way," Captain Panaka ordered. 

Padmé watched it all working out before she made her way to the hangar doors. Vau was at her side and his strill was trotting along. It was carrying a droid's leg as some kind of trophy and looked content with life as it was.

Then the doors opened and a black, hooded figure stood there. Padmé had a bad feeling about him before he raised his head and showed off the impressive dark tattoos on his face. He looked impressively dark and terrifying.

"Sith", Vau hissed.

"Let me take care of this", Master Jinn stepped in front of them and took his lightsaber in hand, not yet igniting it.

 

Obi-Wan went pale next to her. "The darkness is here", he whispered and Satine wouldn't have understood him, hadn't she learnt to read lips ages ago because just in that moment a vod threw a grenade into a bulk of droids and the explosion was close enough to hit her with a shockwave. "My Master is in trouble."

The Queen hadn't noticed Padawan Kenobi's distress yet, so Satine just laid a hand on his shoulder. "What is it?"

"I.. I don't know. I just saw something. A darkness and it was attacking Qui-Gon. I..."

"Go!", Satine ordered. "I will take care of the Queen. Don't worry."

She had a bad feeling about this. Although she wasn't a Jedi, she could feel that something was about to happen, something bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one quite fights like Mandalorians. Mandalorian fighting involves illegal tech, lots of shouting and laughing and a considerate amount of chaos. Unless they take it very seriously but for that their home would have to be threatened. They are basically treating the droids as fun target practice on a vacation trip.  
> Also, no Mandalorian war without singing war chants.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm running with the assumption that Jango Fett is as tall as Temuera Morrison (I think it was 1.72m). I know that wookieepedia says something else (1.83m) but considering the malnutrition in his late childhood and youth and the fact that he has to look up to Obi-Wan Kenobi (1.76m) during their conversation on Kamino, it just makes more sense to me.  
> And, well, yeay for the tropes.  
> Double yeay for headcanons.


End file.
